Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-08-05
TRAIN WRECKER HANGED.
Hoffman, the Nebraska Train
Wrecker, Expiates His
Crime upon the
ScaffOld.
Full Particulars Of the Crime..Hoff.
man Breaks Down and Cries
Like q Child.

~. Fully 5000 people were in the city,
and many more would have been present
had the execution been public. The mill
tia were present to prevent trouble. The
prisoner was supported by Revs. Pierson
and Stewart, his ministers. He presented
haggard appearance and looked as if he
had passed q sleepless night. After he
reached the scaffold Rev. Pierson PRAYED.
and the sheriff asked Hoffman if he had
anything to say. He replied: 81 cannot
say anything" At 1925 the black cap
was adjusted on his head and ut 1O:251 the
trap was sprung. His neck was not brok-
en-, and he died from strangulation. His
body was cut down eleven minutes after
the trap was sprung. About five minutes
afterwards the body was removed into the
court house, where upwards of 5000 PEG.
pie viewed the remains. They we're then
turned over to relatives who removed them
70 Onadllla, Otoe county, where they were
Inferred Saturday.
Inc prisoner maintained his innocence to
the last. This is the first legal hanging
which ever took place in Otoe county, the
Oldest county in the State of Nebraska.
DETAILS OF THE wREcK1Na.
On January ~, 1887, the news was re-
celved of wreck occurring on the night
previous at Dunbar, nine miles west OF
Nebraska Nc City, whereby the engineer, J.
W. Dewitt, lost his life. The train was
engine No. 252, Missouri Pacific Railroad
from Omaha to Kansas City. The tr in
was running at the rate of forty miles an
hour. The traip jumped the track and ran
along Tor some distance before going over
the embankment, which was about seventy
feet high. At the bottom Of the embank-
ment ran creek, and at the bottom of this
lay the cars-a sleeper, car chair, smoking
car and baggage car. The cause of the
wreckng was rail misplaced, or rather
two rails were loosened and pushed to one
side. The bar aud wrench, with the
stamp of the Burlington and Missouri
River Railroad on them, were found living
on the bank close by where the rails were
misplaced. Investigation showed that the
Burlington and Missouri tool house at
Dunbar had been broken into and the tools
taken therefrom.
There were seventy-three passengers on
the train, and the superintendent of the
line, j. w. Daily, was among tn I'm. He
cut his way out and went back to the en-.
CINE, which was on its side with the en-
gineer underneath. His hand was still on
the throttle, which had penetrated his body
near the heart, and was imbedded in the
ground several inches. The body laid
there until the afternoon OF the next day,
when the wrecking train arrived and the
engine was righted and the body extracted.
Death was instantaneous.
The passengers cut their way through
the windows and doors and escaped with Q
few slight bruises, with the exceptions OF
the express messenger, who had the front
of his head crushed and the bones in his
face smashed. Owing to the cars being
heated by steam there was no fatalities,
| otherwise the loss of life would have been
very large.
David w. Hoffman and James Bell we're
arrested, charged with the crime, and on
the boots of arrested man being fitted in
the tracks along the road they were found
to ''size up" exactly. The men were
brought be ore the corcner's jury and
Mrs. John Hoffman, sister-in-law of D.
w. Hoffman, and to whose house the two
men were traced from the track, testified
| that Dave and Bell came to the house.,
which they reached at the same time the
crash occurred. Her husband testified the
same materially. Other witnesses testi-
| fed to seeing the two prisoners going
from Dunbar to the Toulouse, and being
under the influence of liquor. The coro-
ner's jury rendered verdict where they
| charged Hoffman and Bell with the perpe-
tration of the deed by which the engineer
was killed, and recommended that they
be- held for trial under the above
charge.
Bell turned states evidence and confessed
that Hoffman was the head of the plot aid
that they had planned to rob train. The
plot had been laid for several weeks, and
they decided to put it in operat on that
night. They knew that the SOUTH bound
train had on board about $4,000 in gold
and twenty bars of silver, valued at $1,000
each. They stole the tools and misplaced
the rails after much difficulty, and Bell
said he weakened when the headlight of
the coming train appeared in view. They
failed to accomplish the object of the
crime, as they were SO badly scared at what
they had done.
The District Court met April z, and
Hoffman was brought up for trial on the
Sth. When the case was called the coun-
sci for the defense moved to quash the
indictment on the grounds of insufficient
evidence. This was overruled. A change
of venue was then asked for and this mo-
| ton was also overruled. An affidavit was
then flied, signed by Hoffman only, in
the support of motion to set aside the
jury as drawn by prejudiced sheriff. This
| was overruled. The defendants were
given a separate trial. The trial occupied
four days, the evidence of various Wit
nesses not conflicting in material points.
The case of Hoffman was given to the
jury on April 10, 1887. and after an hours
elaboration they returned q verdic. Of
murder in the hrst degree. Hoffman was
brought into court on Monday, April ~,
to receive his sentence, which was given
him by Judge Chapman. He was SEN
fenced to hang on Friday, July %, 1887.
Bell was brought up for Trial on April 10,
and in consideration of his turning states
evidence he was sentenced 10 ten years i'm
prisonment in the penitenti ry.
Hoffman received his sentence with
composure. He was member of the
Methodist chu CHI, hut few days before
the hanging he selected Rev. Father Gus
son, Catholic priest, to be the
clergyman in attendance on
him on the scaffold. His bro her and
sister seldom visited him after sentence
was pronounced. An effort was made to
have his sentenc, changed to imprison-
ment for life, but the S. heme failed.
Giving Him No Show
mo, Bobby" said his mother; zone
piece Of pie is quite enough for your
cts sunny" responded Bobby, with an
injured mir. You say you are anx Gus that